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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2018)
8 // COASTWEEKEND.COM NEW BEGINNINGS AT STORMY WEATHER ARTS FESTIVAL By BRENNA VISSER COAST WEEKEND F or three decades, the Stormy Weather Arts Festival has been a community staple for some of the region’s longstanding artists. But this year, the event will also mark new beginnings. The festival, now in its 31st year, will feature musical showcas- es, the Dancing in the Rain Fashion Show with local and national de- signer labels, and a series of open houses at various galleries to meet artists to discuss their creations Friday through Sunday, Nov. 2 through 4. For most artists, the weekend is an opportunity to show the fruits that come from a lifetime of creating. But for Stirling Gorsuch, his first foray into the arts festival will be a chance to showcase an entirely new medium. Born and raised in Cannon Beach, the young artist is best known for his printmaking work, often inspired by the rugged, wild- fire-torn hills of Eastern Oregon or by his jogs on the beach and through Oregon Coast landmarks like Oswald West and Ecola State Park. Part of the intrigue, Gorsuch said, is that these landscapes em- body the phenomenon of change and transformation. “I’m always trying to find new vistas,” Gorsuch said. “A lot of photographs I use from these — secret trails, let’s say — serve as inspiration. Both — the wildfires and the coast — show the transfor- mation that you see in the natural world.” But this time, the transformation is a personal one. After years of watching his father do oil paintings for years, Gorsuch decided to give COURTESY STIRLING GORSUCH ‘Between the Tides,’ an oil painting artist Stirling Gorsuch will feature at Stormy Weather Arts Festival. the brush a try. “It was more of a challenge than I thought,” he said. “I thought I’d have a leg up with a printmaking background, but at the same time it’s a different animal completely.” After years of visiting Stormy Weather as a spectator growing up, this will be Gorsuch’s first time showing as an artist for the festi- val. In some ways, the experience feels surreal. But in others, it feels nostalgic. “Most people know winter is my favorite season. I love the stormy weather … it’s my most creative time,” he said. “For me, my inspiration is always in between storms, in the calmer times.”
